A Gloomy Day

Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Taipei

We had a gloomy day, this was taken from the 38th floor at Marco Lounge, Far Eastern Plaza Hotel.
The appointment and meeting place had reserved one month earlier.

Strong earthquake strikes in Taiwan at 10:03 am local time today.

Taipei, March 27 (CNA) A magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolted central Taiwan at 10:03 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Central Weather Bureau, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage.
The earthquake struck 38.8 kilometers east of the Nantou County government building at a depth of 15.4 km, bureau officials said.
It was felt most strongly in the scenic Sun Moon Lake area, where it measured a 6 on the intensity scale, but shook buildings as far away as Taipei.
Nantou City, Wufeng in Taichung City and Yuanlin in Chunghua County felt the temblor at level-5 intensity. http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aSOC&ID=201303270006

Mudslides possible in central Taiwan after earthquake
Taipei, March 27 (CNA) Central Taiwan will be vulnerable to mudslides in the coming days because a strong earthquake that jolted the region Wednesday combined with expected rains could make geological conditions unstable, the Central Weather Bureau has warned.
The chances of falling rocks and mudslides could increase in mountainous central Taiwan if topsoil loosened by the magnitude 6.1 earthquake is further eroded by rainfall expected later in the evening, said Cheng Ming-dean, director of the bureau's Weather Forecast Center, on Wednesday.
The earthquake, which has left at least one dead and 19 injured, occurred about 40 kilometers away from the epicenter of a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in 1999 that resulted in the deaths of over 2,400 people.
Cheng said that between 1999 and 2004, as little as 30 millimeters of rainfall in a single day -- about one-tenth of the amount seen during a rainstorm -- could trigger mudslides in the area.
That is why even though Wednesday's temblor was seen as a normal release of energy, the earthquake could still pose a threat to the region in the near future, especially with rain expected in the next three days.
According to bureau forecasts, showers and thunderstorms are likely in central Taiwan from late Wednesday to Friday. http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aSOC&ID=201303270028

The Plaza Hotel stand way above all of the buildings in Taiwan. I imagine an earthquake to be a frightening experience at the best of times. But having it happen while being x amount of floor up in the hotel must be nerve racking, Vickie. Great composition of the city though! V